Cotton-gin feeder



(No Model.)

L0. PoETEE. COTTON GIN EEEEEE.

mwse/j N. PETERs Pmmumq n mr, Walhingtum'll. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW O. PORTER, OF BATESVILLE, MISSISSIPPI.

COTTON-GIN FEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 261,760, dated July25, 1882. Application filed May 13,1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW C. PORTER, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Batesville, in the county of Panola and State ofMississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCotton- Gin Feeders; and I do here-bydeclare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to lettersor figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to a mechanical movement or a combination ofmechanical elements combined and arranged for the purpose of operatingfeed mechanism in machinery in general, and especially in cotton-ginfeeders; and the invention consists in the features hereinafterdescribed, and specifically set forth in the claims.

Figure l is a side elevation of the mechanical elements arranged inrelative and operative position. Figs. 2 and 3 are details.

A represents the apron located in the hopper B relative to thespike-cylinder O, which feeds the cotton to the gin, these portionsbeing of the usual construction and operation. and not requiringdescription further than that the ratchet H is operated by suitableconnection with the shaft Uofthe cylinder 0. In this instance the meansemployed to communicate power from the shaft of the cylinder to theratchet consists of the bell-crank lever D D, pivoted upon the stud d,secured to the side of the hopper. At the same pivot is attached looselyan arm, d, and this arm is I connected to the upper arm, D, of the bell-0 crank by a bolt, E, provided with a thumbnut, 0, both arms beingperforated for the passage of the bolt, and a coiled spring, 0, beinglocated between the arms, so that it tends to spread the arms, while thethumb-nut tends or serves to draw the arms toward each other. Upon theshaft of thecylinder O is an eccentrie, 0, upon the opposite sides ofthe periphery of which the armsd and D ride. To the lower extremity ofthe bell-crank is attached 50 a ratchet-lever, F, by means of athumb-screw,

f. This lever is adapted to straddle the ratchet and take into theteeththereof as an ordinary pawl.

Gris a second pawl, which operates to prevent the backward motion of theratchet.

The ratchet His secured to one of the shafts H of the apron A, as usual.

In Fig. 1, I have shown in dotted lines a slotted concentric disk, I,provided with a pawl, J, adjustable in the slot of the disk, which isplaced upon the shaft of the cylinder 0, outside of the eccentric c andarms D d.

This being the construction, the operation is as follows: It will beseen by using the thumb-nut f that the ratchet-lever F may be elevatedfrom the ratchet and secured in an elevated position, so that thecylinder 0 may continue its rotation and the apron remain at rest. Itwill also be seen that by tightly binding the arm d and the upper arm ofthe bellcrank they are made to tightly embrace the eccentric, and ateach rotation thereof the lower end of the bell-crankis caused tooscillate about the pivot 02 and carry the ratchetlever Fover a certainnumber of teeth in the ratchet and rotate it in the return movement ofthe lever F. If the arms are loosened upon the eccentric, so that theytouch during only a portion of its entire rotation, the stroke of thelower end of the bell-crank will be in length {proportioned to theextent of the periphery of the eccentric, which comes in contact withthem during each rotation thereof. By this means the movement of thefeed-apron, which is of course intermittent, is regular in extent.

If desired, as the eccentric operates positively only in a portion ofits rotation to cause a forward movement of the apron through the mediumof the ratchet-lever F, that portion of its rotation in which it doesnot operate may be utilized in moving the apron by means of the slotteddisk I and pawl J In this case of course the pawl J would be curvedinwardly toward the case of thehopper to bring its operative end uponthe periphery of the 5 ratchet.

Having described my invention and its operation,what I claim, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-- l Thecombination of thefeed-cylindershaft 0, apron-shaft H, the ratchet H, ratchetle- In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature in ver Eben-crank D D, arm d, bolt and nut E presenceof two witnesses.

0, spring 6, and eccentric c, substantially as shown and described.ANDREW O. PORTER.

2. The combination, with the feed-cylinder O and ratchet H, of thebell-crank D D, arm Witnesses:

d, eccentric O, ratchet-lever F, disk I, and W. W. PERKINS,

ratchetJ, substantially as shown and described. G. W. WINTERTON.

